Five or six years ago, I got a call from a Marketing VP who was antsy in her job. “I need to think about broadening my horizons,” she said. “For starters, I need to start networking more.” “What kind of networking do you do now?” I asked her. “None,” she said. “I know the people I work with, and my friends outside of work, and that’s it.”

We put together a plan for the Marketing VP’s career exploration. Her first assignment was to go to a large networking event; we went together, and chatted with a dozen people there. “That was really fun,” said the VP as we left. “I guess I thought that when you network, you have to have a purpose in mind – either you need a job, or you’re trolling for business.” “Heck, no!” I exclaimed. “That’s not networking, that’s transacting business. Networking is just talking, and seeing whether glue forms.” “We built up a lot of glue tonight!” she said. It was true; we had. Read more…

Over the past couple of years, hordes of Baby Boomers found Facebook; this year, half the people I’ve ever worked with seem to have had the same “Aha!” concerning their personal branding.

After spending twenty or twenty-five years without giving a thought to their personal brands, these folks came to the realization in 2012 that they can’t carry on without one. I think it’s great — anything that promotes self-awareness and intention is a good thing in my book. At the same time, a lot of folks are confused about personal branding.

They write to me and ask me to give them spicier, sexier words for their resumes or their LinkedIn profiles. “But I don’t know you,” I protest, and they reply “But as you can see, I’m a versatile Business Professional with a bottom-line orientation…”

One gentleman called me to talk personal brands not long ago, and I gave him this piece of advice. “The words that describe you come at the end of the process,” I said. “There is a much more interesting piece of work to do first. You could call it exploration or self-discovery or career reinvention.” “I’m not interested in any of that,” said the fellow. “I just need to beef up my LinkedIn profile with some specifics.”

“I will help you,” I said, “if you’ll answer a set of questions I’ve got for you. Are you game?”
“I am game,” he said. “Let’s go.” Read more…

Liz Ryan is a former Fortune 500 HR executive and the CEO of Human Workplace, an online community and consulting firm focused on reinventing work and career education. She is working with the Denver Post to bring the best expert advice on work place issues and tips to improve your career. Note: Liz Ryan was selected for her expertise, but her opinions are solely her own. We are not endorsing or advocating her business.